Nothing like a win....

AC Milan's 4-0 victory over Parma today provided temporary relief to Milan fans. The scandal surrounding Silvio Berlusconi and his treatment of women reached new heights as protests from Milan to London to Tokyo called for his resignation. The revelations that have to come to light about his alleged harem of sexual partners have caused an incredible amount of backlash towards Berlusconi. In the past he has weathered some serious scandals, most recently being accused of bribery of members of parliament in order to defeat a motion that would displace him as PM. Incidentally, the lower house of parliament just passed a measure that bars the police from searching his personal property in relation to the investigation. With all this taking place in the political arena, it is hard to imagine that Berlusconi is fulfilling his duties as team owner of AC Milan. However, it is plausible to believe that he may be using the team as a temporary escape or relief from his political troubles. Only time will tell whether or not Berlusconi will retain his position, but what is sure is that he will still own AC Milan at the end of the day.

On the sporting side, AC is about to enter into a very difficult stretch of games in the coming weeks. Tottenham visits the San Siro in the middle of the week to begin the knockout stages of the Champions league, in what promises to be at true test of both sides. The next three games take place in the Serie A with games against Chievo, Napoli, and Juventus, teams that have all given Milan trouble earlier this season. After the Italian gauntlet is passed, the last leg of the Tottenham game takes place. The old sports adage of taking it one game it a time and never looking ahead could not apply more over these next few games.

Back to a more recent events, the win over Parma today provided a bright outlook over the next few games. Newly acquired forward Antonio Cassano scored his 100th Serie A goal in his career, and his first for Milan. Veteran defender and Milan stalwart Alessandro Nesta returned from injury and looked sharp for his first game back, and partnered well with Thiago Silva in the middle to hold Parma scoreless. The Brazilian energy ball that is Robinho came on after halftime to score 2 goals to seal the game, and provided the crowd with reason to sing. Youngster Alexander Merkel started in midfield and proved he deserves more playing time as he demonstrated poise and creativity. Ibrahimovic also turned in a smart and efficient performance at the center forward position, and although he didn't score he was able to influence the attacking play, create scoring chances, and proving that even when he doesn't score he is still the most important player for Milan.

Hopefully some of Milan's excellent form will carry over to Wednesday when Tottenham visits. Over the course of the next week Berlusconi's fate may become a little more clear, or may just become more complicated. In the past Berlusconi has been able to dodge many bullets that looked certain to be fatal. As the scandal plays out it will be interesting to see if any of the off field drama carries over to the playing field, or it is somehow able to remain insulated.

Until then, Forza Milan!